Opera-University

Discovery programs based on the Paris Opera’s programme.

Project

Opera University offers all students, whatever their field of study, the chance to discover opera and ballet around works scheduled at the Paris Opera. These à la carte courses help them to understand the processes underlying opera and ballet production. They bring added value to discussions of the various works between students following different curricula, whilst providing new insights and perspectives.

Over the last decade, nearly 400 higher education institutions (universities, high schools, colleges, art schools, student associations and groups...), representing more than 12,200 students, have participated in the activities initiated by the Paris Opera’s Opera University. Henceforth more than 2000 students come each season to discover both the Paris Opera and opera in general.

^{Picture: Projet C.O.D.E Opéra Garnier 2075 – Pauline Ah-Fa, Gabrielle Gbaguidi, Colette Herry, Guillaume Leroux - Ecole de Condé -MDGRI/Master Design Global Recherche et Innovation}

Tailor-made paths

Tailor-made in tandem with teachers and designed for groups of 20 to 40 students. The courses include, for the productions concerned:

Access to the final stage rehearsals
Backstage visits of both theatres, scenery and costume workshops
Encounters with artists along with artistic, technical or administrative staff according to the curriculum. Our primary aim is to encourage dialogue and foster comprehension.
Privileged access to the production (operas €25 euros, ballets €15 euros , concerts and avant-premières €10)

Specifics projects

Some specific projects, in line with the works studied and the different classes followed by the students, have been elaborated with academic teachers: round tables, concerts-meetings, online exhibitions, digital projects…

PROJECTS FOR THE 26/27 SEASON

SEPTEMBER 2026

Talk – Hamlet: staging Shakespeare at the Opera

In 1999, Krzysztof Warlikowski staged his first theatre production: Hamlet. From the complexity of this tragic tale of love, family, nation, and philosophy, he offers a psychoanalytic reading of Hamlet, in which the eponymous character, trapped in his memories, relives the trauma of patricide.

OCTOBER 2026

Lecture – Götterdämmerung: the dilemma of the end

The ending of Götterdämmerung was repeatedly revised by Wagner, who was influenced by Schopenhauer’s philosophy. What remains here of his adherence to this philosophy?

DECEMBER 2026

Lecture – Rituals: The Rite of Spring and Boléro

The Rite of Spring (1913) and Boléro (1928) have been subject to numerous reinterpretations since their creation. Why do these two masterpieces of 20th-century music exert such fascination on choreographers?

Talk – Pulses: Max Richter and dance

German-British composer Max Richter (b. 1966), associated with the post-minimalist and neo-classical movement, has collaborated with many choreographers. In what way is his music inspiring to choreographers?

FEBRUARY 2027

Talk – Correspondences: Nocturnes

Thierry Malandain draws on Chopin’s 21 Nocturnes to create a danced tableau inspired visually by the danse macabre of the late Middle Ages. An invitation to reflect on death and the passing of time.

MARCH 2027

Lecture – Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk: a work of emancipation

Both an official composer of the regime and a permanent victim of censorship, Dmitri Shostakovich saw his fate sealed at the premiere of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk at the Bolshoi Theatre in January 1936. The work was censored, removed from the repertoire, and Shostakovich, labeled an “enemy of the people,” was ostracized.

MAY 2027

Screening – Kaguyahime: cross perspectives

The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is the oldest prose text in Japanese literature. Dating from the 10th century, it tells the story of Kaguyahime, a lunar princess whose great beauty arouses love and desire. Adaptations of Kaguyahime are countless in Japanese culture: drawings, paintings, plays, children’s books, films, animated works, manga, and video games have all reinterpreted this fantastic story.

Talk – Idomeneo: a philosophical tale or redemption through love

In this initiatory tale of sacrifice, Mozart, following Enlightenment principles and for what he considered his favourite opera, chooses to remove the element of violence: Idamante will live and succeed his father. Reason triumphs over passion, giving way to mercy.

How to register

Do you wish to bring students to follow Opéra&Université courses at the Paris Opera?

Send us your application and together we will devise a course adapted to your students' curriculum.
By mail: opera-universite@operadeparis.fr
By phone: 01 40 01 19 17